I've made a couple posts on this forum but nothing more. So I suppose you could consider this my introductory thread. I've been a member of the SBG forum for a while but I've always appreciated myArmoury as a source for slightly more academic information. As my interests broaden in that direction I figured it might be good to truly "join" this forum in earnest beyond just making an account.

So, on to what the thread is really about, my most recent project that I'd like to share.

I built a sword around an old Deltin blade.

This project has taken several months. I believe I bought the blade in July on the classifieds over at the ArmourArchive. It was purchased from Andrew Young who happened to live nearby so I was able to save shipping and just go pick it up. It was a very pleasant transaction and I actually hung out and talked about swords and armour for quite a few hours. I will likely be a returning customer.

It was an older Deltin. I think they're newer ones have have better mass distribution. This blade had very little distal taper and was a good bit overweight. I decided to do a complete overhaul of the blade by regrinding it.

Everything else was made from scratch.

Deltin's temper is great. This blade flexes really well. Due to the taper I added most of that flex is in the last third or so. The first third of the blade has very little taper and almost no flex.

It is also very sharp and the edge geometry seems quite good to me but I don't have any high end swords to compare it to. It cuts quite well though. I took a large chunk of plywood off my stand without even realizing it. The blade didn't seem to dull at all. I think this is a good testament to Deltin's qaulity and heat treatment.

Here are the finished stats:

Weight: 2.98 lbs
POB: 4.25 inches from guard, 4.75 inches from grip
Blade: 32.5 inches
Grip: 4.25 inches
Total: 39.5 inches

More photos can be seen here: http://s675.photobucket.com/albums/vv112/NathC/Deltin/

I'd already moved the shoulder up and cut about an inch and a half off the tip before the first photo.

Oh, and feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Very impressive work here! Good to see it at various stages of constructions, thanks for sharing the images.

Wow, it looks better than many production swords out there! Congratulations!

Wow! Really nice work. I love the guard.

I really like the design you picked for the crossguard, it flows really well with just enough detail.

That's a very good-looking sword! Well done. Love the guard and the handle.

Beautiful! It's well-made and attractive, and an inspiration for work on an old DT blade I have.

Thanks for all the complements. I'm very proud of this sword. It's probably the best piece I own.

I used a bucket of water to cool the blade every few passes. It seems to have worked fine.

I learned a lot doing this, I think my next sword will probably come out even better.

I really enjoy seeing peoples work on this site.

I like the sword as a whole but as far as individual components go I really do like the aesthetics of your cross. The curves and transitions in shape are very well done. It seems to be based on a historical type of cross but with detail and facets to it's geometry that make it unique.

Historically, the re-hilt was often used. Even the fitting of a hilt, applied to a blade, bought it from a blacksmith different.
This is an excellent example. :)
Bravo.
Ciao
Maurizio

Grat sword man. Really.
Congratulations!

Very impressive! I really enjoyed going through the pictures and seeing how you put it together. Bravo! :cool:

Very nice and clean work. Chapeau.
The polished pommel looks now a little plain, in comparison with the slightly worked guard. I would have considered a simple decoration to it, too.
My question: what is the outer "skin" covering the grip made of, and how did you put it on?

Thanks, for the kind words.

I used a dremel cutting wheel on my drill to cut the guard slot for the shoulders of the blade. They are somewhat rounded up on the ends but this isn't really noticeable once assembled. I also liked the fact that I could taper the ends of the slot to match the cross section of the blade. I lack a milling machine so this was the best I could come up with but I think it worked rather well. And a milling machine wouldn't have been able to make those tapered ends.

The pommel does seem a little plain. I'm not sure if it comes through in the photos very well but it isn't just round. It tapers to be much thinner towards the peen.

I'm not sure what you mean by "skin" so I'll cover all the bases. The wood core was made out of walnut, I think. I then used some epoxy putty to beef the grip back up because I'd sanded too much wood off. The whole thing was then wrapped in hemp thread before being wrapped in vegtan leather. The leather was suppose to be about 2 ounce. I used wood glue on the leather and then dyed it after it had dried over night. I hope that helps.

-Nathan

Nice work! It looks splendid. Veryt nice work.

RPM